HowDeadTL: 7. Selection of The Crown Prince's Aides

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The Duke's Daughter Goes Her Own Way

[Selection of the Crown Prince's aides ]

Translated by: ME

The royal family, as a rule, does not attend external educational institutions. If they do, it's when the person has a strong desire to do so. And I wished to enroll in Steinford Academy, the most difficult and prestigious school in the country. There is only one reason. It was because I wanted to spend my student life with Ellie.

When it comes to the education of royalty, especially the Crown Prince and Princess who have been decided as heirs to the throne, the best teachers in the country are prepared. Since there must be no bias in their principles, claims, or ideologies, the selection of teachers is carried out with extreme care and rigor. If you are receiving that kind of education, there is absolutely no need to attend even a prestigious school.

But, I want to experience student life with Ellie. Once I turn eighteen and become an adult, my official duties as Crown Prince will increase even more than they do now. Not to mention my administrative work. Even now, I can barely find time to have tea with Ellie by squeezing in moments between other things, but I'll have even less time then.

I asked Their Majesties if they would grant me this one selfish request. I thought they would be a little more reluctant, but to my surprise, they readily said,

[Do as you please.]

Her Majesty the Queen smiled and said,

[This is your first selfish request. It is a parent's duty to grant it.]

I see. I had never made a selfish request to Their Majesties 'as their son' before... I felt a little apologetic towards Their Majesties, who seemed somewhat pleased, but I decided to gratefully accept their kindness. Still, this will be a bolt from the blue for Ellie. It's still a matter of years away. Although it's a matter of years away, I'm very much looking forward to it. I need to start preparing now so that I can spend my student life with Ellie without any regrets.

For the sake of a fun school life with Ellie, I think I'll start by clearing up the problems I've been pushing aside. I currently have three people who are my [close aides]. [Close aides] are those who will support me by my side when I eventually ascend the throne and become king. They are not there to attend to me, use flattery, and simply make me feel good. In the first place, even if they did try to lift me up like that, I would only feel uncomfortable. For some reason, there are quite a few people who misunderstand that.

[Aren't you going to introduce us to His Highness's fiancée yet~?]

Paul Nelson, the third son of the Nelson Trading Company, the largest in the country, complains as he slams the documents he was holding onto my desk in my office. He is two years older than me, currently sixteen. He has his own economic theories and would be successful as the chairman of the trading company, but I forcibly pulled him in because I wanted him to use his brain for the sake of the country. I feel sorry for the Nelson Trading Company, but the eldest and second sons of that family are also excellent. I hope they'll forgive me for taking one of them.

[Well, wait a little longer. Eventually, when I have completely decided on my [close aides], I'll introduce you then.]

[...That's what he said. Why don't you work instead of making pointless remarks?]

Leonard Ernest, the second son of the Marquis Ernest family, says with a disgusted tone. He is one year younger than me. That's a common age among the children of nobles. After being sharply told off by Leonard,

Paul muttered in exasperation, [Yes, yes] and returned to the work he had been given.

Leonard is someone Marquis Ernest has entrusted to me. The Marquis says that he will surely become His Highness's right-hand man, but. Currently, he doesn't weigh as much as one arm. He seems to believe that he can become my close aide. ---I wonder about that?

In early spring, there was a change of head of the Aristocrat Duke family. The Aristocrat Duke family is the leading ducal family in our country, and the home of the girl with the drill hair who almost ruined Ellie's first tea party. The new head of the family is Robert Aristocrat. He is the eldest son of the previous duke, and the change took place after he turned eighteen and came of age. ...I can't even remember the name of the girl with the drill hair, but oh well. Ellie calls her [Lady Drill Hair,] so I can't remember any other name.

The previous head of the family, the father of that girl with the drill hair, didn't suddenly pass away or become bedridden. Well, on the surface, it was [for medical treatment]. This previous head of the family, dissatisfied with the judgment against his daughter at the time of the problematic tea party, appealed to Her Majesty the Queen. He said that the punishment was too severe for his young daughter... I was utterly dumbfounded when I heard that. Ellie, who was even younger than the girl with the drill hair, was in charge of the tea party, and the girl had caused an unprecedented scandal at a tea party hosted by the royal family by getting into a brawl, and furthermore, she had slightly incurred the displeasure of Her Majesty the Queen. In Ellie's words, it was $checkmate$ .

Naturally, the appeal incurred further displeasure from Her Majesty the Queen. He didn't apologize for his daughter's mistake, and even though the punishment was light. Is that how a ducal family that is said to be the [leading] family should act? I completely agree. The previous Aristocrat Duke was the one who kept telling the girl with the drill hair, [You are the most suitable to become the future queen]. She was told that by her father, who was an absolute figure to her as a child, and she was spoiled and pampered... the result is that. It's utterly pathetic. Before that, the duke was far too naive about what a [queen] is. In this country, a [queen] is by no means an accessory to the king. A [queen] is someone who stands alongside the king. She is someone who shares the same burdens as the king and walks together with him. Therefore, they are given the same honorific title as the king, [Your Majesty]. To willingly go out of his way to incur the displeasure of that queen. It's too foolish for words.

It was there that the eldest son, Robert, distinguished himself. At the time, he was sixteen years old and enrolled in Steinford Academy. He was studying law alongside managing the territory. Since he would be inheriting the ducal family, managing the territory is understandable. The problem is law. Graduates of Steinford's law program often work in the legal bureau of the royal palace or become judges in courts around the country. The current Minister of Justice is also a graduate of this program. There's no harm in having legal knowledge for managing the territory, but studying at Steinford would mean that the amount of study required would not be something that could be done casually.

Robert had actually been quietly waiting for an opportunity for quite some time. The former duke doted on his daughter and didn't pay attention to Robert or his second son, who were unlikely to have a connection with the royal family. He seemed to be convinced that his daughter would definitely become the Crown Princess, so he spared no expense for the girl with the drill hair and left the two sons entirely to his wife. But that was a stroke of good luck for Robert. He was a fool who showed disrespect to Her Majesty the Queen and didn't even realize it. He was an idiot who believed in non-existent facts, such as the leading ducal family being on par with the royal family. He was able to distance himself from that father.

And his wife was a very intelligent woman. She told her sons to watch their father carefully. [He will do something someday. At that time, you must protect yourselves,] she said. She is a wonderful woman with a remarkable spirit. She had already given up on correcting her daughter. Whenever the wife tried to give some advice, the girl with the drill hair would run to her father and cry. Then the former duke would affirm his daughter and deny his wife. After repeating that for many years, her affection for her daughter had worn out. Her love for her husband had withered away within a year of their marriage. ...I sincerely want to commend the wife.

The wife hired carefully selected tutors for her sons. If her sons asked for more advanced education, she would find new teachers for them. Instead of giving dresses and jewels to his daughter, the husband gave knowledge to his sons (TL note: he technically paid for them). And the sons of the ducal family waited patiently for an opportunity. For the day when they could eliminate the cancer that the former duke was to the Aristocrat Duke family.

The reason Robert chose law was [to legally eliminate his father.] In the first place, the Aristocrat Duke family had been called the leading family because of the achievements of the previous generation, that is, Robert's grandfather. More than forty years ago, when an epidemic spread throughout the country, Robert's grandfather used his private fortune to start developing a cure. And the completed medicine was distributed to clinics throughout the country at a price that was almost free. His selfless spirit touched the hearts of the people, and he gained popularity. In order to reward his dedication, since there was no higher position to be granted, he was ranked first and made the leading family. In other words, the former duke did nothing. He was a second-generation heir who lived off his parents' wealth.

From the moment the former duke messed up, they began to move. First, they made the duke aware of the mistakes he had made, pointed out the small-scale corruption he had been committing, and then told him the amount of money he had wasted on the girl with the drill hair. The former duke was an incompetent person straight out of a textbook. The amount of money he had used for the girl with the drill hair was an amount that could not be overlooked even by a ducal family. [If you remain in that position, your savings will eventually run out. You will also be criticized as someone who has incurred His Majesty's displeasure. Do you still cling to that position?] They pressed him in that way, and the former duke was demoted to his territory. The girl with the drill hair said herself, [I will go with my father,] so they did as she wished. It seems that letters have been arriving constantly for several months since then, saying, [I want to return to the mansion in the capital,] but they are all being suppressed.

Until Robert came of age, the wife stood in as the duke's proxy. And as soon as he came of age, he inherited the position of duke. The first thing he did was apologize to Her Majesty the Queen. Robert offered to have his rank reduced, but Her Majesty said, [There is no need to chase away someone who knows what he should do from his position,] and pardoned him. However, for the sake of satisfying those around him, he became the fifth in the order of the five ducal families. The Macnagan family automatically became second in the order as a result of this, but Ellie was saying something incomprehensible, [We don't mind if our family is quietly lowered as well...] I can't just arbitrarily lower the rank of a family that has done nothing wrong, Ellie...

I became interested in that Robert Aristocrat and tried to contact him. As a result, I found that he was a very talented young man, completely different from his sister. He respects his grandfather from the bottom of his heart, and he is the kind of person who thinks that it would be good to use his power for the sake of the people, and by extension, for the sake of the country.

Then, wouldn't he lend me that power?

When I said that, he was slightly surprised, and then he knelt down on the spot.

[I will risk my life. For His Highness, and by extension, for the sake of the nation, I will work to the best of my humble abilities.]

Very beautiful vassal's courtesy. The lady must have given wonderful education.

I unintentionally blurted that out, and he smiled, looking a little happy. [I... no, my brother and I, respect our mother as much as our grandfather.] I got a good one.

According to Robert, he's even willing to pass the title of Duke to his younger brother. ...I wish he wouldn't dismiss the abdication of the Dukedom with a [willing.] He became my third aide, following Noel and Paul. Robert currently has a degree from Steinford, but he's still at the academy, continuing his studies. Apparently, he wants to revise the law. That's reliable and good.

Noel's path to becoming an aide is a bit different from theirs. The royal family always has exclusive guard knights. The number of knights assigned as [exclusive] to each member of the royal family is six. Exclusive knights are selected from the Royal Knights. Normally, the head of the exclusive knights is appointed from those who have become aides to the royal family. The head of the exclusive knights for my father, the current king, is a man who was His Majesty's foster brother. The royal family member being guarded chooses only the head, and that head chooses the exclusive knights who will be his subordinates. Therefore, the existence of the [Head of the Exclusive Knights] must be someone you can trust.

My wet nurse's child was a girl, so I have no interaction with her. Well, even if the child had been a boy, I don't know if he would have aimed to become a knight. They will protect us for the rest of our lives. It is said that it is better if they are close in age.

Until one's exclusive guards are decided, guards are dispatched from the Royal Guard. These are people who have been trained to become exclusive guards. If a head is appointed for someone, then several of them will receive the name of [exclusive]. Among them, there was one who often guarded me. That was Noel.

At the time, he was called Noel Simmons. The second son of the Marquis of Simmons. The Simmons Marquis family is a prestigious military family, and the current Marquis is in charge of the Knights Order. He injured his dominant arm during the subjugation of bandits some time ago and retired from the front lines. He can't fight, but all he has is the pride of a knight, so he's taken on the role of supervisor, which is like a cross between a civil and military official.

[The second son of the Marquis of Simmons, huh?]

[Yes.]

One day, on the way back from training, I called out to Noel, who was walking behind me.

[You'll leave the house someday, won't you?]

[Yes. Although, it's as good as me already having left.]

Noel entered the Knight Academy at the age of twelve and graduated at fourteen. After that, he joined the Royal Knights and has been living in the dormitory ever since.

[How old are you now?]

When I asked, he replied, [Sixteen, Your Highness.] The age difference between Noel and me is eight years, so I was eight years old at the time. It was before I met Ellie.

[Why a guard knight?]

Graduating from the Knight Academy at the age of fourteen and joining the Knights Order. That alone is quite early. From there, he became a Royal Guard and a guard knight in just two years. He either has considerable talent, or he has trained that much. Either way, it's an extraordinary talent.

[I wanted to wield a sword not to destroy and kill, but to protect.]

Noel smiled, looking a little embarrassed, and I tilted my head slightly.

[To protect?]

[Yes. You may think I'm a coward.]

[No. That's not true.]

In fact, [protecting] is several times more difficult than [destroying]. Protecting, not destroying. If you just hear the words, some people, especially those aiming to become knights, might ridicule it as cowardly. But how many people can understand that it's not as easy as it sounds?

[You're aiming for something quite difficult.]

[That's right. You're absolutely right.]

Looking at him nodding with a smile, I felt that he was quite a promising person. The position of exclusive guard knight is highly regarded among the knights. Some seek that [name] and [honor]. But I can't fully trust that kind of person. Of course. We entrust our lives to them. Those who seek honor and such cannot do that. Is he too far apart in age to be my exclusive guard? But, wouldn't it be alright even so?

Thinking such things, time passed without a decision. Noel is always there. He erases his presence to the point that I forget he's there. Sometimes, I think he'd be better off being stealthy, but stealth is a power for [killing]. It's not what Noel seeks.

One day, Ellie said she wanted to see the knights training. Ellie has an exquisite clumsiness. I was worried, so I decided to go with her. When we arrived at the training grounds where the knights were training, the knight who was guiding us took us to a place where we could observe safely. The knights are slashing dummies with mock swords. Ellie is watching it while muttering incomprehensible words like [Hohe~...]

One of the boys noticed that we were watching. I sighed inwardly at the boy running towards us. That's the son of the First Knight Commander. The Knight Commander tried to force him on me, saying, [Please let him be Your Highness's sword or shield,] and I glossed over it on the spot. I guess he wants him to be the head of my exclusive guards in the future.

[Your Highness!]

Like a dog who found a ball, he ran up to me and knelt before me.

[Morris Sandil, I have arrived!]

No, I didn't call you. What should I do with this guy...? Ellie looked at the scene curiously and whispered in my ear.

[Did you call him?]

[...No. He just ran over here on his own.]

When I answered in a voice that only Ellie could hear, Ellie made a deflated sound, [Araa~...] Sandil, who had come on his own and knelt on his own, raised his head and stood up on his own. He's completely selfish. Sandil is not normally qualified to be here. But, it seems that the Knight Commander brought him here for self-training or something. It's borderline against the service regulations. I'm overlooking it because there's no particular malice and there are no complaints from the surroundings.

[Ehm... Sandil, is it?]

It sounds like the end of the sentence is [was it?]. I nodded to Ellie to show that it was correct, and Ellie looked a little relieved.

[Mr. Sandil, do you want to become a guard knight?]

[Yes! I will become Your Highness's guard!]

Why does he say it as if it's been decided? I haven't decided anything like that in particular. Also, his voice is annoying.

[I see... Your Highness's...]

Ellie is nodding, but I want her to stop. Nothing has been decided yet.

[Mr. Sandil, what do you think is the most important thing to become a guard knight?]

[Strength!]

Sandil answered in an instant. That's why, he's annoying.

[I see. Thank you for answering my impolite question.]

Sandil also replied [No!] to Ellie, who bowed deeply. I don't care, but what did this guy really come here for?

[Sandil, aren't you training?]

I asked implicitly how long he was going to stay here, but Sandil only answered [That's right!] and showed no sign of moving. Ellie muttered in a small voice, [Araa~...] as if she was stunned. She's completely looking at him like he's an incompetent child. Really, what should I do with this guy...?

As I was thinking that, Ellie stood up suddenly.

[Your Highness, we shouldn't disturb the knights, so shall we excuse ourselves?]

[...That's right.]

I made Ellie worry. How pathetic. We cut the tour much earlier than planned and decided to take a break in the garden with the remaining time.

[He's still a child, so it can't be helped... I guess...]

I chuckled at the words muttered with a sigh after taking a sip of tea.

[I wonder? He's the same age as me, though...]

[If you use Your Highness as a standard, the other children won't have a chance to stand.]

I laughed at Ellie, who was giggling, thinking that she was quite fond of me.

[But he...]

Ellie paused as if thinking about something, and looked around. Today, as always, guard knights are standing around. The placement is also perfectly standard.

[He won't be able to become a guard, will he?]

I tilted my head slightly at Ellie, who said it clearly.

[I think so too... Why did Miss Elizabeth think so?]

When I asked, Ellie smiled. And she prefaced it with, [This is just my personal opinion.]

[Because guards don't prioritize [strength].]

Ah, that's right. That's certainly right. Noel said that too.

[Certainly, the guard knights are strong. They protect the royal family, so they can't be weak. But... I don't feel the [strength] that Mr. Sandil is probably seeking from them here.]

[What is the [strength] he seeks?]

[It's just a simple, pure [strength] in the sense of [military power]. That's the kind of person he is.]

I agreed with Ellie, who smiled slightly stunned. That's probably right. However, Sandil probably doesn't know that there are other [strengths] besides that.

[That may be the case. But, people who think [it's enough to be strong] or [if you're strong, you can protect] will surely break somewhere.]

Ellie makes a gesture of breaking a twig or something while saying [snap].

[Break.]

[Yes. I'm not saying it's bad to seek to be strong, strong... But, if you're just [strong], you'll become stiff and hard, I think.]

[And, break...?]

[Yes. The harder something is, the more it snaps when it breaks, right?]

Indeed. A person who has become fixated on one way of thinking will have their heart broken when that is denied. Now that she mentions it, Sandil certainly has that kind of danger.

[Were you thinking of making him Your Highness's guard?]

I honestly denied it to Ellie, who tilted her head.

[Rather, I was troubled because they said that and tried to force him on me.]

[I see... Certainly, he's a little difficult to handle.]

[Ah. It's precisely because he's not a bad person that it's even more so.]

So, Sandil isn't a bad person. Rather, he's a straightforward boy. ...The only problem is that he's loud.

Besides, can we really entrust the protection of royalty to a boy who doesn't seem capable of even the slightest political maneuvering? Wouldn't he be better suited for patrolling the city?

[Aren't guard knights required to have not only strength, but also a certain level of intelligence?]

[That's only natural.]

When I nodded in agreement, Ellie nodded as if she was convinced as well.

[I thought so. Then it's even more difficult for him, isn't it?]

When I asked why, Ellie gave a wry smile.

[He doesn't understand His Highness's words to return to training at all.]

At those words, I couldn't help but chuckle softly.

[Indeed. I didn't think it wouldn't get through to him at all.]

[It's almost refreshing, isn't it?]

Ellie nodded, then sighed softly with a wry smile.

[Besides, he exudes a certain air of being a musclehead...]

I heard a word I'd never heard before.

[Musclehead?]

[Ah, it's slang. 'Brains made of muscle,' abbreviated to musclehead.]

[That's quite... what an apt term.]

[Indeed. It's a convenient word.]

I decided not to ask why Ellie knew such a word for the time being.

However, until my exclusive chief guard is decided, that musclehead boy will continue to try his best to become my guard. It's annoying... no, it's not for his own good either.

[Lady Elizabeth, if you were to choose your own exclusive guard, what criteria would you use?]

I asked on a whim. Eventually, when the marriage takes place, she will also need to have an exclusive guard.

[Me...? Let me see...]

Ellie thought for a moment, then smiled brightly.

[I would choose someone who, no matter how many mistakes there may be, would never stab me in the back.]

That's quite harsh...

Slightly surprised, Ellie said with a smile, [Well, in short, someone trustworthy, I suppose. ...But in Your Highness's case, do you also have to consider the balance of military factions?]

[Well, there's some of that. However, control of the military can be achieved through other means, so it's not that much of a problem.]

[Then what is the problem?]

Ellie is probably just asking out of curiosity, but I feel like I'm being interrogated. But well, that's fine too.

[Age... perhaps.]

In fact, that's what's been bothering me all along.

[Age?]

[There are no strict rules, but it's said that the guard and the person being guarded should be as close in age as possible.]

[Why?]

To Ellie, who asked curiously, I explained that the relationship would last a lifetime, and so on. Still, Ellie tilted her head.

[Even so, since they are knights, it's possible that they may not be able to wield a sword at any time, right? Even if they are younger than the person they are guarding.]

Ah, that's right. That's correct.

[Shouldn't Your Highness choose someone you can truly trust, regardless of age? ...Of course, someone who is seventy or eighty years old would be difficult.]

No, that's impossible.

With Ellie's encouragement, I later chose Noel as my exclusive chief guard. I am very grateful to Ellie for helping me make a good choice. If I told her, she would probably mutter something incomprehensible like [Heeh...] again.

Although he is the second son of a prestigious marquis family, he himself is a knight (quasi-noble rank). To add prestige to that, Marquis Simmons transferred the viscount title he owned to Noel. He is currently Viscount Noel Gray. The marquis apparently lightly said, [I'll give you a territory too, you know?] but Noel laughed and said, [I can't manage it, so I declined.]

Five years have passed since I became engaged to Ellie.

During that time, I haven't taken Ellie to public events very often. I've been making excuses, saying that Ellie is still young and in the process of being educated... Well, that's a lie.

Surprisingly, Ellie's education is almost complete. ...Only her dance lessons haven't shown much progress. She still sprains her ankle in the middle of steps, steps on her partner's feet, or kicks them. Well, that can't be helped. It's Ellie, after all. It's just a matter of a few bruises on my feet. Ellie apologizes repeatedly with a very pathetic face, so I don't mind the pain at all.

Even if she attends small tea parties at the Duke's mansion, she doesn't attend large tea parties or balls. I know that there are those who whisper that she is a daughter who is so difficult to take down. There are those who worry and are concerned that she will become the future queen...

I am currently recording the words that those people have let slip. Those who truly worry about the future of the country are good. They will have no choice but to be silent once they know Ellie. Those who are not—those who pretend to be worried and try to satisfy their own desires—will be quietly asked to retire from the political stage over a long period of time. I can't stand the thought of them becoming a shackle on Ellie, who is irreplaceable, when they are just replaceable cogs.

There are also rumors of a [discord] between Ellie and me. When I heard the report, it was so ridiculous that I couldn't even laugh. There must be those who want us to be at odds. People who despise me, Ellie, and the royal family are being exposed.

Leonard Ernest, the son of Marquis Ernest, is one of those people. Marquis Ernest himself doesn't have any particular problems. He holds the position of Minister of Home Affairs, and no corruption has been found. ...Although, it's not like he's particularly capable either.

Leonard is the second son and has an older brother, who is very talented. He has already graduated from Steinford Academy and is currently eighteen years old and working in the Home Affairs Bureau. He is currently just an ordinary employee, but he will probably be promoted next spring. He seems to have grown up being compared to his brother, and he is quite twisted. His desire for approval is very strong, and he gets carried away when praised, and sulks when his mistakes are pointed out. He is a very difficult boy to handle.

...How could I make someone like that my right-hand man...? If you're going to offer someone, I wish you would offer his brother.

Robert laughed and said, [Isn't that what you're supposed to control?] but when I told him to try controlling him himself, he fell silent. You shouldn't force others to do things that you can't (don't want to) do yourself. Besides, if I made him my aide, you guys would have to see his face almost every day, you know? When I continued, not only Robert but also Paul fell silent, looking disgusted. Leonard's unconscious and unaware contempt for those around him is enough to make you sick just by being near him.

However, there is currently no major reason to send him back to the Marquis. The work he is assigned is so easy that he doesn't make any mistakes. But if I were to assign him a big job, I can't do that to someone I don't trust.

So, what to do... I thought about it and came up with the idea of having Ellie do something about it.

Since she decided to take the Steinford entrance exam, Ellie goes to the library whenever she has free time. She seems to be looking for ideas for her thesis. If it were an academic paper in a field she likes, Ellie could write as many as she wanted. But the theme of the entrance exam paper is [What you want to learn]. That is, it is almost synonymous with what Ellie wants to do as queen. I am very much looking forward to what Ellie will write and what she envisions for the future.

That's why I thought I'd try throwing Leonard at Ellie, who often appears in the library.

Since Leonard has a tendency to naturally look down on others, I decided to lend Noel to Ellie as a guard, just in case. He is my exclusive chief guard. The fact that he is standing by her side is proof that she is under my protection.

Now, what will Leonard do?

Fishing is fun while waiting, but the results came out in just three days. The bite was so good that I was more dumbfounded than enjoying it. It's good that it's fast, but isn't it too fast? That boy Leonard really seems to have to bite others to be satisfied. Ellie would probably say, [He must have a disease that makes him die if he doesn't bite.]

I called Leonard, who had done it, explained what he had done, and told him that he would be removed from the list of aide candidates. He kept his head down with a bloodless face throughout.

Now, with this, the processing of the [aide candidates] that were forced on me by those around me is complete. I welcomed Hendrick, the son of Marquis Orchard, my cousin, as the fourth aide, and that's it.

...Actually, I was considering Elrick Macnagan, Ellie's brother, as the fourth person. I asked him and he refused with terrifying speed. After all, the Macnagan ducal house is incomprehensible.

Later, Ellie apologized for Elrick's refusal. She said, [It's impossible for him to serve anyone other than me... I'm sorry. My brother's head is rotten. He's a bit of a pervert...] [A bit of a pervert']... What exactly is that...? It's kind of amazing that it contradicts itself in one word. The Duke also said, [He's a hopeless idiot who is obsessed with his sister... It's just that he's so capable, which makes it even more difficult...]

The mystery of the Macnagan ducal house only deepens.

In any case, my surroundings have become a little clearer. I went to the tea party with Ellie with a very refreshing feeling.

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